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Background The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted communities worldwide, particularly in developing countries. To successfully control the pandemic, correct information and more than 80% vaccine coverage in a population were required. However, misinformation and disinformation could impact this, thus increasing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in communities. Several studies observed the effect of misinformation and disinformation on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and other responses to the pandemic in the African continent. Thus, the most trusted sources of information on COVID-19 vaccines are critical for the successful management and control of the pandemic. This study aimed to assess the most trusted sources of information on COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic in Uganda. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study on 587 adult population members in northern Uganda. Single-stage stratified and systematic sampling methods were used to select participants from northern Uganda. An interviewer-administered questionnaire with an internal validity of Cronbach’s α = 0.72 was used for data collection. An Institution Review Board (IRB) approved this study and Stata version 18 was used for data analysis. A Pearson Chi-square (χ2) analysis was conducted to assess associations between trusted sources of COVID-19 vaccine information and selected independent variables. Fisher’s exact test considered associations when the cell value following cross-tabulation was < 5. A P-value < 0.05 was used as evidence for an association between trusted sources of information and independent variables. All results were presented as frequencies, proportions, Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests, and P-values at 95% Confidence Intervals (CI). Results In a study of 587 participants, most were males, 335(57.1%), in the age group of 25–34 years, 180(31.4%), and the most trusted source of COVID-19 vaccine information were the traditional media sources for example, Televisions, Radios, and Newspapers, 349(33.6%). There was no significant association between sex and trusted sources of COVID-19 vaccine information. However, by age-group population, COVID-19 vaccine information was significantly associated with internet use (14.7% versus 85.3%; p  = 0.02), information from family members (9.4% versus 90.6%; p  < 0.01), and the Government/Ministry of Health (37.9% versus 62.1%; p  < 0.01). Between healthcare workers and non-health workers, it was significantly associated with internet use (32.2% versus 67.8%; p  = 0.03), healthcare providers (32.5% versus 67.5%; p  < 0.018), the Government/Ministry of Health (31.1% versus 68.9%; p  < 0.01), and scientific articles (44.7% versus 55.3%; p  < 0.01). Conclusion The most trusted sources of COVID-19 vaccine information in northern Uganda were Televisions, Radios, and Newspapers. The trusted sources of COVID-19 vaccine information were not significantly different between males and females. However, there were significant differences among age groups and occupations of participants with younger age groups (≤ 44 years) and non-healthcare workers having more trust in Televisions, Radios, and Newspapers. Thus, for effective management of an epidemic, there is a need for accurate communication so that misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation in the era of “infodemic” do not disrupt the flow of correct information to communities.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the most severe global health uncertainties to date. Although significant global effort has been put into implementing COVID-19 pandemic control measures such as lockdowns, travel restrictions, and hygiene precautions, the transmission is expected to resurface once these efforts are discontinued. We aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with compliance with presidential 53-day lockdown measures in June-July 2021 in northern Uganda. In this cross-sectional study, 587 adult participants (≥18 years old) from northern Uganda were selected using a systematic sampling method. Data collection involved interviewer-administered questionnaires with an internal validity of Cronbach’s α = .72. Socio-demographic characteristics of participants were described, and multivariable modified Poisson regressions were performed to assess prevalence ratios between dependent and selected independent variables, with respective P values at 95% confidence intervals. All analyses were conducted using Stata 17.0. Participants’ compliance with the presidential lockdown directives was high at 88%(95% CI: 85%-90%). Compliance with the presidential directives was more likely among participants who agreed to the lockdown measures [adjusted Prevalence Ratio, aPR = 1.28 (95% CI: 1.10-1.49; P = .001)] compared to those who did not, and more likely among those who were afraid of death from COVID-19 [aPR = 1.08 (95% CI: 1.01-1.15; P = .023)] than those who did not. However, compliance was less likely among males [aPR = 0.91 (95% CI: 0.86-0.97; P = .002)] compared to females, those aged 35 to 44 years [aPR = 0.87 (95% CI: 0.79-0.97; P = .013)] compared to those less 25 years; and unmarried [aPR = 0.89 (95% CI: 0.82-0.97; P = .011)] compared to the married. Compliance with the COVID-19 presidential lockdown measures in northern Uganda was high. The factors associated with compliance were the fear of death and agreement with presidential lockdown measures. However, compliance was less likely among males, unmarried persons, and persons aged 35 to 44. The authors recommend more community engagements, participation, sensitization, mobilization, and simultaneous application of multiple public health approaches to improve compliance and control of COVID-19.

Background Triage is essential for optimising resource allocation in emergency care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Some triage tools, such as the Interagency Integrated Triage Tool (IITT), have been developed specifically for resource-limited settings, but their implementation and evaluation remain challenging due to shortages of staff, limited training opportunities, and infrastructure constraints. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of implementing a structured triage system adapted from the IITT on the identification of urgent/emergency cases and wait times compared with unstructured nursing assessment alone in a rural general hospital in Uganda. Methods A prospective quality improvement study was conducted in the outpatient department (OPD) of Dr Ambrosoli Memorial Hospital in Kalongo, Uganda. Data were collected on all patients attending the OPD for 7 consecutive days before and after IITT implementation. Outcomes included changes in emergency/urgent cases identification, proportion of undertriage/overtriage using hospital admission as the gold standard for assessing triage accuracy, OPD wait times and total OPD length of stay. Multivariable regression was used to adjust for confounders. Results A total of 304 patients in the pre-implementation period and 246 patients in the post-implementation period were included in the analysis. After implementation of the IITT, the proportion of emergency/urgent cases increased from 16.4% to 22.8%, but there was no significant association between IITT implementation and identification of emergency/urgent cases, overtriage and undertriage after adjustment for confounders. IITT implementation was associated with a 23-minute reduction in time to provider (95% CI -35.49 to -12.03, p  < 0.001) and a 35-minute reduction in total OPD length of stay (95% CI -57.41 to -12.76, p  = 0.002). Conclusions A structured triage system adapted from the IITT showed similar proportions of overtriage and undertriage compared with unstructured nursing assessment alone, but improved patient flow by significantly reducing wait times and length of stay in the OPD of a resource-limited rural hospital in Uganda. These findings suggest that structured triage can be feasibly implemented without additional resources in similar low-resource hospitals; however, further studies are needed to fully assess the impact of IITT in this and similar settings.